Yeah yeah yeah I know, we vanished over the holiday season & kind of forgot to give a heads up to anyone who follows along. It wasn’t intentional I assure you, it’s just, we kind of got swept up in it all. I’m sorry, it wont happen again.

What I mean to say is, it’s not uncommon for us to take a couple weeks off here & there, but we wont vanish without a heads up next time. Deal?

Good, lets move on.

Right, being as we’ve entered into a new year, I’ve decided it’s about time to tackle some of the recipe ideas that I keep scribbling down at random intervals.

For example….. blueberry french toast. I have been wanting to make some of that since I spent a month in Boulder, Colorado last November. It’s not that I had any whilst I was out there, but as soon as I left & got back to Athens, it was all I could think about at 03:00am when I was wide awake with jet-lag.

Can’t make blueberry french toast without a decent blueberry bread though, so, I present to you my oat, buckwheat & blueberry loaf.

We may not actually make it as far as the blueberry french toast…. Mel & I have gotten through half of this gluten-free bread already & every time I look at it, it appears as if it’s shrinking. Did I mention that it’s also egg free, dairy free & vegan friendly?

Still, my craving for the delicious egg fried bread is what brought me to this beautiful, beautiful state of baking, & that, is never a bad thing.

Before I pass on the recipe, I just want to say that it’s been snowing on our island! That may not sound like a big deal to you, but it’s like being in the Twilight Zone.

I can’t be held responsible for the fact that such weather induces comfort baking habits, or the fact that such habits may cause one to undo their top trouser button. Or in my case, untie my PJ bottoms. What? It’s cold, my PJs are warm, I didn’t want to get out of them today, the rest of my clothes were just so cooooold to the touch! Don’t judge me, it’s no big deal I swear!

Does it make you feel better that these are gluten free, egg free, dairy free & vegan?

No? Me either.

I’m chalking it down to cravings & I’m going to enjoy every single mouthful.

Before I spill on the recipe though, I do want to take a moment & have you admire my cake stand. The one I’ve so wonderfully used to display my rolls on.

Like it?

I bought it from a friend who’s got a deliciously marvelous antique shop online called Wanstead Homewares. You really should check it out. One of these days I’ll convince her to do a guest post here for us since she’s quite the chef herself & is strictly gluten-free & vegan. Kind of perfect huh.

For the first time in the history of Whatever’s Left, not only am I going to follow a recipe word-for-word rather than write my own, I am also going to be following the one on the back of the box!

I can hear the gasps of horror & shock even from the safety of my own couch. You’re judging me & I can feel it. Like hot pokers burning holes through me.

Please, withhold your disappointment for just a moment & allow me to explain!

It’s all about the bread. I may have mentioned a time or two (or twelve) that I just can’t shake the craving I have for it. That warm, fluffy, chewy, crunchy on the outside bread. I’m an addict. I’m a gluten-free self loather apparently. I’ve tried to give up the idea of it, I really have…. but there’s no soothing this beast.

The thing is, all the ‘bread’ that I’ve tried has just been disgusting! I mean the organic stores sell these little loafs of what they like to call bread, but they are just crumbly, disgusting, condensed bricks. Their attempt at bread rolls were even worse! It was depressing to say the least.

I keep hearing rumors though that somewhere out there, there is a bread imitation that could almost fool you. There is hope yet… I hope.

In light of this new found hope, I’ve decided to attempt to write my own bread recipe & make it amazing. Thing is, I don’t have a clue how good (or bad) gluten-free bread can be. I need a starting point. A reference so to speak. I’ve seen a couple recipes online that look pretty decent. I’ve also seen a couple bread mixes that look passable when all baked up. I’m fairly certain I will try all of them. Today though, today I’m starting with the Dove’s Farm white bread mix. I’m following their instructions to the ‘t’ so to speak.

The way I see it, I haven’t been disappointed by Doves Farm yet. They make an excellent pasta out of brown rice that is just amazing. They also provide all those fantastic ingredients like rice flour, xanthan gum, buckwheat flour, & all other things great & small that have been making my life a little easier one day at a time. I think they know what they are talking about.

I’m going to trust them on this one & use the as a reference for what I’m aiming to achieve.

…..the results are in!

Right off the bat I can tell you the following:
1. the exterior is crunchy which is always good.
2. it looks a little like a loaf of bread, but I’m not entirely convinced.
3. the texture is more like a very dense cake rather than a soft bread.
4. the taste it ok, different, but not bad.

I wouldn’t call it bread bread, but it is kind of yummy when it’s still warm & honey is drizzled over it. I have this feeling that the rise didn’t happen quite as it should have so I’m thinking I may attempt this recipe again & allow the yeast to proof first before adding it to the dry ingredients.

I’m still hopeful. I think that maybe, just maybe there will be something out there that will get me a little closer. You know, close enough to make a sandwich.